Is this what a zombie is?

75. The premise is... that he can succeed.

Wang Riyue frowned, looking utterly perplexed.

"What is all this about? Why are you bringing up historical allusions?"

Dongfang Liang explained, "This is not just a historical anecdote, but also a rather insidious formation. It uses eight dragon sons who are destined to be emperors as sacrifices, offering up their entire destiny and fortune."

"This is used as provisions to nourish the main dragon, helping it to break through the shackles of its destiny in a short period of time and transform into a true... Son of Heaven. This is the unknown side of the Nine Princes' Struggle for the Throne."

"Formations, that seems to be something your Dongfang family excels at. During the Qing Dynasty, none of your Four Spirits families served the imperial court, did they?"

"As for family, there really isn't one, but there are always people who can't stand the loneliness, who want high-ranking positions and salaries, who want to achieve fame and success, and who want to... prove themselves."

Dongfang Liang calmly revealed a dark chapter in his family's history.

"During the period of the struggle for the throne among the nine princes, my Dongfang family had such a person. He was a person of extraordinary talent in the art of formations. In order to help the prince he supported ascend to the throne, he exhausted all his knowledge and created and successfully implemented this formation."

"That time, he succeeded, and this formation became a taboo. Only a very few people knew about it. Li Lianying probably came into contact with many secrets while serving the Empress Dowager, and he may have benefited from them, so he also knew about this formation."

"Your Four Spirits Clan... you really are a handful."

Wang Riyue couldn't help but want to retort, but Dongfang Liang coldly retorted, "Which family with a thousand-year history hasn't produced a few traitors who betrayed their masters and ancestors? Chief, can you guarantee that there isn't a single traitor with ulterior motives in the entire bureau, from top to bottom?"

With just one sentence, Wang Riyue was speechless.

"Ahem," Wang Riyue cleared his throat, forcibly steer the conversation back on track, "Let's not talk about that for now. I still don't understand, what was Li Lianying's ultimate motive?"

"The Qing Dynasty has long since fallen. Why would he go to such lengths and expose himself to create such a grand spectacle? Is it all just to recreate an emperor?"

"What's he after? Is he really so servile that he can't live without a master?"

This question also perplexed Nangong Erya.

Could a eunuch of a fallen kingdom truly possess such unwavering loyalty to a dynasty that has long since collapsed?

After pondering for a few seconds, Dongfang Liang slowly shook his head and said firmly in response to Wang Riyue's three questions.

"Before the Empress Dowager died, he was indeed loyal, because his power and status all came from her. But when the Empress Dowager died and he ate the flesh of the living Tai Sui, he was no longer loyal to her."

"What he wanted was never an emperor, nor any imperial power, but supreme power."

Dongfang Liang's gaze swept over the two of them, finally settling on the center of the map of China on the holographic screen, his voice kept very low.

"I suspect what he really wants is to use the power of the Son of Heaven to control the long-lost Imperial Seal."

"From the time of the First Emperor, the Imperial Seal of the State contained the five-clawed golden dragon totem, which represents the orthodoxy of the Chinese nation."

The Imperial Seal of the State!

Five-clawed golden dragon totem!

Wang Riyue suddenly stood up from her seat, her expression changing from shock to horror.

Although the Imperial Seal of the State is a precious cultural relic, compared with a totem, it is merely an object with symbolic meaning.

Having spirit runes is enough to become a sect founder.

Totems are an advanced form of spirit patterns. The Four Spirits Clan possesses totems of the four spirit beasts, which has allowed them to stand strong for many years.

The power of a totem must never fall into the hands of a schemer, especially one that represents the five-clawed golden dragon totem of Chinese faith.

"How much do your Four Spirits Clan know about the five-clawed golden dragon totem?"

Dongfang Liang shook his head. "In fact, we don't know much either. The five-clawed golden dragon totem was not successfully conceived until the Tang Dynasty's golden age, and it only appeared three times afterward. The only thing we know is that only a true emperor can obtain the recognition of the totem inside the imperial seal."

"That's why he kidnapped Ai Yi."

"Ai Yi is a descendant of the Aisin Gioro clan. His bloodline and destiny are most suitable for him to inherit the throne. Even though the Qing Dynasty has long been destroyed, he can still restore it."

"What would happen if he got the five-clawed golden dragon totem?"

The power of the totem is immense, but Wang Riyue is unsure just how powerful it is, since he doesn't even have any spirit runes.

"If it were an ordinary totem, that would be fine." Dongfang Liang's expression was more solemn than ever before. "But the five-clawed golden dragon totem is different. It is not a totem inherited by a certain family. It was born from the national fortune of the First Emperor when he unified China and cast the Imperial Seal."

"It can be said that it is a collection of the beliefs and aspirations of more than two thousand years of Chinese civilization, hundreds of dynasties, and tens of billions of people."

"Once Li Lianying combines this immense power of faith with his zombie bacteria... he could very well easily control hundreds of millions of people."

Dongfang Liang's voice wasn't loud, but it simultaneously conjured up an incredibly terrifying image in the minds of Wang Riyue and Nangong Erya.

Hundreds of millions of living people, under his control, worship him.

The entirety of China, and indeed the entire world, will gradually fall into his zombie kingdom.

"Is it really... possible to do that?"

Fine beads of cold sweat had already formed on Wang Riyue's forehead.

"Yes, it's possible." Dongfang Liang nodded, giving an affirmative answer. "Because the power of the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon totem's rules is about rule and decree. As long as he can fully master it, theoretically, anyone whose blood still carries Chinese genes and who subconsciously identifies with this land could be influenced by him."

"Of course, that is, assuming... he can succeed."

Given this premise, Wang Riyue dared not gamble on it, not even daring to consider it.

The severity of the situation has completely exceeded expectations, escalating from a kidnapping case into a world-ending disaster that could upend the entire country.

"He's going to cause a huge uproar!"

Wang Riyue broke out in a cold sweat. He realized the situation was urgent and he had to do everything in his power to stop it and nip Li Lianying's conspiracy in the bud.

"Pass on my order: activate the highest level of emergency response. All personnel must return to their posts immediately, and all leave is cancelled."

"Notify Simon Deng, Beitang Ming, and Nangong Moya to prioritize this matter and fully cooperate in resolving it!"

"Use all resources and spare no expense to find out Li Lianying's location."

As he issued commands, the entire massive organization was fully activated and began operating at full speed.